1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mower blades for rotary mowers, whose salient characteristics are provided by the incorporation of wear-resistant layers of finely divided ultra-hard particles to those portions of the blades that are most subject to attrition in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mower blades manufactured up until the present are made of steel whose cutting properties are quite definitely less than the optimum obtainable. This is not for lessening the cutting efficiency, but is due to safety considerations. Cutting properties in steel are related to hardness, and this in turn implies brittleness.
In a consumer item such as a mower that has a high-speed rotating part which is possibly subject to some abuse, such as striking stones or cement curbing, a blade that might let fly hard pieces due to brittleness cannot be tolerated. This has resulted in the use of mild steel and the sacrifice of durable cutting edges. The user pays for the safety factor in loss of efficiency at best and a rapid lowering of even this modest level of efficiency as the cutting blade turns into a rounded-edge flail during use. The rapid degradation of the cutting edge makes the mowing process take more time and waste fuel.
It is most desirable to have a means whereby a mower blade made substantially of mild steel can have a durable cutting edge without sacrificing the relatively safe characteristics of the conventional type. The use of this type of blade can be expected to provide savings in fuel, which when considering the millions of mowers in use, can can add up to really meaningful quantities.